Wartime Winterton: Traces of a Hidden History
A quiet walk around Winterton today gives little hint of the vital role this small coastal village once played during the Second World War. Yet if you know where to look, the landscape still tells its story. Beneath the dunes, beside the church, and along the beach are reminders of a time when Winterton stood on the frontline of Britain’s defences.
One of the most visible traces can be found on the beach itself, where lines of weathered concrete blocks still emerge from the sand. These were anti-tank defences, installed to prevent enemy vehicles from landing on this exposed stretch of coastline. Along with pillboxes, trenches and barbed wire, they formed part of a carefully planned coastal barrier designed to slow or stop an invasion.
Winterton was also home to a significant military presence. Troops were stationed in and around the village and billeted locally, becoming part of everyday life. One known billet was Net House on Bulmer Lane, where soldiers lived alongside residents. Military vehicles and equipment were a common sight, and it was not unusual for villagers to see tanks positioned near Holy Trinity Church, ready to be deployed if needed.
The lighthouse, although no longer used for coastal navigation during the war, remained strategically important. Standing on high ground within the village and overlooking the sea, it provided a valuable vantage point along this vulnerable coastline. Its elevated position made it ideal for observation and coordination as part of Winterton’s wider coastal defences. Nearby, emergency military installations and gun emplacements strengthened the area further, underlining Winterton’s importance as a defensive location rather than a navigational one.
Winterton also played a role in Britain’s remarkable wartime deception efforts. The area formed part of a network of decoy sites, created to mislead enemy aircraft by imitating towns, airfields and military targets. Carefully positioned lights and structures were designed to draw bombing raids away from real strategic locations inland, adding another hidden layer to Winterton’s wartime story.
The skies above the village were closely watched by members of the Royal Observer Corps, whose volunteers monitored aircraft movements and reported activity along the coast. Their work was vital to Britain’s early warning systems, particularly in the years before radar coverage became fully established. While records are complex, there is evidence that the wider Winterton area was involved in early warning and radar-related activity, including installations close to where Winterton Valley Estate now stands.
Today, the village remembers those who served and those who did not return. The Celtic cross memorial at Holy Trinity Church stands quietly among the graves, commemorating those connected with Winterton who played their part in the war.
These remnants remind us that Winterton was once a place of vigilance, ingenuity and resilience. As you walk its lanes, dunes and shoreline today, you are quite literally walking through layers of history, where the peaceful landscape still carries echoes of its wartime past.